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Jarno Opmeer is now a three-time F1 Sim Racing champion, claiming the 2025 series after a fraught final round from Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit.
Heading into the finale with a 21-point lead over Thomas Ronhaar, Opmeer was in the literal driving seat island and seemingly odds-on for championship glory. However, a poor qualifying session put Red Bull’s 2024 recruit on the back foot, lining up 14th on the grid.Â
Notably, Ronhaar was on pole position. The pressure was on.
Ronhaar courted controversy in the penultimate race from Qatar, winning on the road before a post-race penalty demoted him to fourth. The Kick F1 driver had launched a series of brash moves on his opponents during the event but was adjudged to have used too much force while overtaking Opmeer, which proved to be his undoing.
Naturally, both were more than fired up for the conclusion of the 2025 season.
Race
Fortunately, Opmeer’s team-mate, Frederik Rasmussen, sat alongside Ronhaar on the front row, and with Red Bull already crowned Teams’ champions the day before, his focus was on helping Opmeer.
Snatching the lead off the start Rasmussen held on for three laps before Ronhaar swept through. With Opmeer down in 14th, the title was heading Ronhaar’s way.
However, as Opmeer struggled to progress, Ronhaar fell down the field. A broken end plate, caused by a collision with Aston Martin’s Otis Lawrence, contributed to his lack of pace.
Further contact with Rasmussen was followed by a three-second penalty for ‘rough driving’, effectively eliminating the young Dutchman from the championship picture. The aggression wouldn’t end there, however.
Williams’ Ismael Fahssi and Ferrari’s Bari Broumand emerged as Opmeer’s closest challengers by this stage, but with Opmeer now moving forward following the pitstop phase, the title was within his grasp.
It wasn’t to be a smooth run to the chequered flag, though, as the Red Bull driver was cynically hit off-track by Ronhaar on his descent through the field. Opmeer continued, battered but not broken, but soon lost a position to the recovering Fahssi. Seventh place was still more than enough to win his third Drivers’ title, however.
Up front, and almost forgotten thanks to the drama behind, Otis Lawrence sealed victory on the final lap from McLaren’s Alfie Butcher, with Broumand coming home in third – enough to seal second in the standings.
Ronhaar, the pantomime villain of the piece, came home a disconsolate 17th.
Did you watch the final race of the 2025 F1 Sim Racing championship? What did you make of the Jarno Opmeer – Thomas Ronhaar battle? Let us know in the comments below.
Images courtesy of F1 Sim Racing
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Reckless aggressive behavior MUST be penalized – why did the stewards turn a blind eye? The penalty came eventually: Ronhaar is out! He should rethink his sportsmanship! The entire background team worked hard on the strategies – tire saving, which is why Opmeer was initially lingering at the back – pit stops, setups… these don’t happen on their own. The engineering team delivered professional work at the highest level! Hats off to the entire team for the double victory!
Indeed, it was very over-aggressive driving. Thankfully, it didn’t change the outcome of the championship!